Over 20 institutions from industry, academia, research and government to jointly tackle global AI patent challenges
South Korea's public and private sectors are joining forces to secure core and applied AI patents and identify policy and project initiatives driven by real-world demand.
The Korea Intellectual Property Office launched the "K-AI Patent Strategy Council" on Thursday at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, holding its inaugural meeting alongside domestic AI foundation model companies, universities, research institutes and related agencies.
The council was established in response to intensifying global competition in AI foundation model patents, as major countries including the United States and China push state-led AI development — known as sovereign AI — and major US technology companies deepen their AI patent cooperation.
Its goal is to help the government and private sector work together to secure core and applied AI patents and strengthen South Korea's technological leadership in global AI markets.
More than 20 institutions participated, including major AI companies such as LG AI Research, Upstage, SK Telecom, KT Corp and Kakao, as well as KAIST and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI).
At Thursday's meeting, participants shared the council's operational direction and previewed plans for a "Sovereign AI Patent Support Project" slated for 2027. They also exchanged AI patent analysis findings and discussed ways to strengthen the patent competitiveness of South Korean AI companies.
Going forward, the council plans to hold regular and ad hoc meetings to share global AI patent developments and explore joint responses, while gathering input from industry to identify effective policy, regulatory and project improvements.
Kim Il-gyu, director general of the intellectual property policy bureau at the Korea Intellectual Property Office, said that as AI commercialization accelerates, securing core and applied patents ahead of global patent disputes becomes increasingly critical. "We will actively support our companies' global AI patent competitiveness by working as one team between the public and private sectors," he said.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
